Ruth Pabich, 82, of Minnetonka, MN, died on Sunday, December 8. Her daughter Carrie was there to ease her passage, as was her significant other, Joe. Her sons Mike and Randy were there remotely and were able to tell her once more how much they loved her.
Ruth was born Ruth Marie Derge, in Marshfield, WI, the second of five whip-smart, curious, funny kids born to Ferdinand and Marie (Schroepfer) Derge. Ferd was a baker, musician, and outdoorsman; Marie was a stay-at-home mom, a volunteer, and a partner with Ferd in the cultivation of a massive and productive vegetable garden, from which she canned volumes of tomatoes and rhubarb. As a child, Ruth survived a case of rheumatic fever that kept her out of school and in her house for a year.
Ruth graduated from Columbus High School in 1960. She went to college and graduated with a degree in English education from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. In 1964 she married Jim Pabich and moved to Thorp, WI, where she raised three kids. She taught high school English in Thorp and briefly in Owen-Withee. Midway into her career Ruth obtained her master's degree in English education, again from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.
After retiring in 2010 Ruth moved to the Twin Cities. She met Joe Niedermeyer, her significant other. She doted on her family. And she travelled. She especially loved traveling see Shakespeare performed at the American Players Theater, in Spring Green.
Ruth conducted her life with humor, care, strength, and generosity...and bossiness. She was a strong, opinionated, loving, generous, engaged person. She had a nose for poignant stories that could make you cry; her kids grew up on "Old Shep" & "Babes in the Woods." She loved the poetry of Emily Dickinson, the prose of Louise Erdrich and Jane Austen, and the looks of Paul Newman. She loved Hollywood musicals, martinis, and good cheese. She made a brilliant potato salad. She played a mean game of bridge. Since high school, when as a member of the Young Democrats she met John F. Kennedy, Ruth remained engaged and active in politics. It is believed the last angry profanity she ever uttered was trained on the head of the incoming administration.
The last few years had been a bit of a rollercoaster in terms of health, but Ruth remained fiercely independent. We were hoping she could get back to her life with a fancy new knee. Didn't quite get there. Still. Ruth got to see her kids raise kids of their own, all boys. She tended to glow when she was with her grandsons. Lego sessions, hungry hippos - that's the stuff you put in the dearest room in your memory palace.
Ruth leaves behind her kids, Mike (Beth), Randy, and Carrie; her grandsons, Nick, Ollie, Tom, and Max; her sister, Barb (Chuck Pickhardt), her brothers, Bill (Sandy) and Dan (Sue); her significant other, Joe Niedermeyer; and Carrie's fiancé, Hugh Armel. She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Tom, and her son-in-law, Matt Moore.
A celebration of Ruth's life is planned January 4 at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Community Church, 4537 3rd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55419. Visitation will be at 11 a.m., mass at 12 noon, and lunch at 1 p.m.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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